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It is a fallacy to think that innovation happens only in sophisticated laboratories in modern city centres. In the small and idyllic town of N. Lakhimpur in Assam, on the banks of the Brahmaputra river and in the foothills of the Himalayas is a research workshop surrounded by lush tea gardens. Serial innovator Uddhab Bharali, 45, set up this workshop to help devise technological solutions for the local communities and industries.
He has innovated nearly 85 engineering devices for various uses including agriculture, and 13 of these have found commercial application.
It all began when he set up a polythene-film making unit for supply to the surrounding tea estates. While the machinery from established companies was priced Rs 4 lakh, Bharali designed a machine that cost just Rs 67,000.
“I believe that developing new machines comes naturally to me and it is this flair which helped me repay my father's debts by setting up the polythene-film making unit,” he says.
The success of this machine gave Bharali the confidence to develop more.
He also bagged a contract for machinery maintenance at a hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh, near the Indo-China border.
After completing his schooling from Lakhimpur, Bharali's interest in machinery-making had prompted him to enrol at Jorhat Engineering College. Unfortunately, however, he was forced to abandon the course after three months due to the strife in Assam.
His desire to do the same course via correspondence at the Institute of Engineers - India Madras chapter, in Chennai, could not be fulfilled due to the sudden death of his father, forcing him to work and take care of his family.
Despite these setbacks, today Bharali is a resource scholar for the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship and a technical consultant to the Rural Technology Action Group (RUTAG) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Guwahati.
For the work on many of his innovations, Bharali received support from the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) under the Micro Venture Innovation Fund (MVIF) scheme and the Technopreneur Promotion Programme (TePP) of the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR).
His pomegranate-deseeding machine was mentioned in the prestigious MIT Journal .
As part of his efforts to drive more innovation and create a pool of skilled technicians, Bharali conducts a training programme for youngsters who are selected based on their aptitude for technical skills, rather than academic qualifications. Each batch has eight students and the three-month training imparts skills in various machine technologies. The students are provided free food and lodging, and a monthly stipend of Rs 300 for the training period.
With so many innovations to his credit, Bharali however considers his work on designing a mechanised toilet for the handicapped to be really special.
He also dreams of building an unconventional orphanage in his hometown where children will receive technical training to make them employable. Once they start earning a livelihood, they can focus on acquiring academic knowledge in history, mathematics, sociology and other important areas, he says. Another dream is to set up an industrial village with a multispeciality skill development centre for the manufacture of intermediary products.
Most of all, he wants to equip senior citizens with technical skills to help them become self-reliant in old age.
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